Eastside Rail Corridor Trail - Coming Soon

Trail Description

King County is planning 16.7 miles of new regional trail that will connect the Eastside like never before and provide the cities of Renton, Bellevue, Kirkland, Woodinville, and Redmond with new opportunities for non-motorized recreation and transportation. The opportunities are many, whether it is expanding our transportation options, creating economic and cultural opportunities, protecting natural resources, maintaining access to scenic vistas, or providing recreation around the beautiful Northwest.

Want updated construction information?

Visit the Project Information by Segment section to view the latest in design, outreach, technical reports and more. We'll keep all our Eastside Rail Corridor neighbors and stakeholders up to date as construction progresses.

New to the trail?

Visit the Trail History section to learn more about the trail's history, resources about the project history, or watch a video describing the projects scope and timeline.

Did you know our trails often host events?

See the What's Happening on the Trail section to know about events happening on the trail or in the area. Our trails are used by commuters and recreational users alike. They are also often the site for cycling races, informational walks, fun runs, 5ks, and more!

Be a part of the trails community!

The Eastside Rail Corridor, much like all of our Regional Trails System trails, is a work in progress requiring constant management and upkeep. We always welcome constructive suggestion about trail maintenance, or safety from our users. Be sure to let us know if you see something on the trail that you think we can improve.

What's Happening on the Trail?

Rail Removal and Interim Gravel Trail 2017-18 - While we work on design of the permanent paved trail envisioned in the Master Plan, we will be removing rails and opening segments of interim gravel trail. A total of five miles of interim trail will open later this year in early 2018 - View Map. Sections opening include:

A one-mile section from the Cross Kirkland Corridor at 108th Ave. NE to Northup Way (with a planned SR 520 Trail connection by Spring 2018). This section will also connect into Bellevue's Spring District south of SR 520, with a connection from the ERC to bike lanes on 120th Ave NE by the end of the year.

A four-mile section from Gene Coulon Park in Renton to Newcastle Beach Park in Bellevue, with connections at either end to the existing Lake Washington Loop Trail.

Trail History

Take a virtual tour of the Eastside Rail Corridor! – With this interactive Story Map, created by Trust for Public Land in partnership with King County Parks, you can tour each segment of the corridor and zoom into view features of the surrounding landscape and community amenities in close proximity to the ERC.

Want to see one of the most exciting and iconic segments of the trail? Check out this bird's eye view of the historic Wilburton Trestle:

The Eastside Rail Corridor (ERC) connects some of King County's largest and fastest growing communities. In its entirety, the ERC is a 42-mile rail corridor that will offer recreation and transportation opportunities to the residents of Renton, Bellevue, Kirkland, Woodinville, Redmond and portions of unincorporated King and Snohomish Counties.

The trail would connect commercial districts, residential neighborhoods, employments centers, and transit hubs. It would link several significant regional trails that are currently not connected, and when complete, be the most heavily used trail coridor on the eastside.

With a design similar to the Sammamish River Trail or the Burke-Gilman Trail, the ERC would connect the Eastside's largest communities and employers. The trail would become part of the every day experience for thousands of King County residents for commute trips, trips from home and school, trips to the store, and for recreation.

A trail for the community – At the end of planning, outreach, and environmental multi-use process, a preferred alternative for the Trail Master Plan was identified and approved. King County began finalizing the plans on the type of use, location, alignment, and width of the trail to establish King County Parks regional trail standard.

Design and construction of the Eastside Rail Corridor will continue to adhere to the agreements made in the early planning phase, outlined in the Master Plan, to provide a safe, multi-use regional trail for bicyclists, pedestrians, joggers, skaters, strollers, wheelchairs, and users of all ages and abilities.

Design/Construction update: Preferred Alternative is on the railbed. The on-railbed alignment is slightly modified in some locations, shifting or widening slightly to avoid or minimize environmental impacts, improve neighbor privacy in a residential setting, or to improve trail experience.

See below for links to construction plans, newsletters, reports and other project documents.

Recent Activity:

Trail Construction by Washington State Dept. of Transportation (WSDOT) - 2019-2020: King County is working closely with WSDOT, who will construct a trail bridge over I-405 near Mercer Slough, replacing connectivity for bicycles and pedestrians in the ERC at the location of the former Wilburton train tunnel. The Wilburton tunnel once served as a freight train crossing over the southbound lanes of I-405, but was demolished in 2008 after freight operations had ceased on the ERC to facilitate expansion of the freeway at that time. During its upcoming Renton to Bellevue Express Toll Lanes (R2B) project, WSDOT will construct a bicycle and pedestrian bridge to complete a missing gap in the ERC for trail. Also as part of the R2B project, WSDOT will construct 2.5 miles of paved trail in the ERC south of I-90 between Coal Creek Parkway and Ripley Lane. The trail segment will be constructed in accordance with the Preferred Alternative in the ERC Regional Trail Final Master Plan and EIS. Anticipated to be in place by the end of 2020, this new segment of ERC trail replaces sections of the Lake Washington Loop trail that will be lost when the freeway is expanded through the area.

King County-owned sections of interim gravel trail opening in early 2018 include:

A four-mile section from Gene Coulon Park in Renton to Newcastle Beach Park in Bellevue, with connections at either end to the existing Lake Washington Loop Trail and eventually to the Lake to Sound Trail.

A one-mile section from the Cross Kirkland Corridor at 108th Avenue Northeast to Northup Way, with a planned State Route 520 Trail connection by spring 2018. This section will also connect into Bellevue's Spring District south of State Route SR 520, with a connection from the ERC to bike lanes on 120th Avenue Northeast.

Design/Construction Update: The Preferred Alternative for the southern part of the segment, south of NE 8th Street, is on the railbed. North of NE 8th Street, where transit uses are being planned by Sound Transit, such as for East Link Light Rail, and proposed future light rail alignment plans from Bellevue to south Kirkland under ST3, the Preferred Alternative is either off-railbed or a modified off railbed profile that seeks to minimize costs and impacts while providing opportunities for optimized co-location of the trail with the future transit alignment

See below for links to construction plans, newsletters, reports, guides, and other project documents.

Recent Activity

Wilburton Segment and NE 8th St. Crossing Design (2017-2019) - Design will begin this fall on the Wilburton Segment through Bellevue, which extends from the Cross Kirkland Corridor at 108th Ave. NE to I-90, including design of a direct connection to the I-90/Mountains to Sound Greenway Trail. This trail segment includes renovation of the historic Wilburton Trestle as a trail bridge while preserving the historic character of the structure, originally built in 1904. At nearly 1,000 feet long and over 100 feet off the ground the Wilburton Trestle is the largest timber train trestle in the Pacific Northwest and will be one of the most iconic elements of the ERC Trail. Starting this fall we will be working on design of a trail bridge to cross over the busy NE 8th Street in Bellevue. Both design efforts will involve the public and stakeholders. Stay tuned for more information about opportunities to become involved.

Design:

Released design documents will be posted here for public review once available.

Guides: Review general design guides about the project here -

Technical Reports: Check back here to review all technical reports for this segment once available.

Public Outreach:

All public outreach, including neighborhood meeting summaries, homeowner notification letters, construction updates, and news releases will be posted here as the project progresses.

Design/Construction Update: Where there are no plans for use of the railbed by our partner owners, Sound Transit and Puget Sound Energy, the Preferred Alternative is on the railbed where environmental impacts and costs are minimized. In some sections, such as from Slater Avenue in Kirkland to approximately 135th Avenue NE in Woodinville, the Preferred Alternative for the ERC’s Main Line is the Off-Railbed Alternative to avoid impacts to wetlands and to provide space for a Puget Sound Energy power line project. Other short sections in the Valley Segment are off railbed to avoid wetland and stream impacts, or to accommodate a short section of active freight operation in the northernmost mile of the Spur adjacent to SR202.